Scottish Memorials on The First World War Western Front, Part One: The Scotland Memorial at Frezenberg Near Ypres

Note: as with all my other First World War articles on Triond, the author’s share of the per-view revenue this page generates is being donated to St Dunstan’s – a UK charity which assists blind and partly-sighted ex-Services men and women. So just by reading this far you have helped ensure a better life for these veterans. See my article here  for details and for links to the other articles donating in this way.

As well as the lovingly-tended military cemeteries that dot the line of the Western Front in quite astonishing numbers, there are many other memorials. Some are to the dead or missing of a particular battle (for example the Thiepval memorial to the missing of the Somme). Others commemorate a specific unit or occasionally an individual, or are designed as the focus of remembrance for a particular nationality (such as the South African memorial at Delville Wood on the Somme).

The first specifically Scottish memorial we came across on our cycle tour was the Scotland Memorial at Frezenberg, on the Ypres to Zonnebeke road in the Ypres Salient in Belgium. We had just attended the playing of the Last Post at the Menin Gate in Ypres and were cycling back to Zonnebeke where our accommodation for the night was. It was just approaching sunset and the memorial looked particularly moving against the pinkening sky.

Photograph 1: the Scotland Memorial, Frezenberg, near Ypres (photograph by the author)

This new memorial (it was only inaugurated in 2007) commemorates all Scots who fought in the Ypres Salient in the First World War, regardless of unit. The Salient saw heavy fighting throughout the war and most British units served there at one time or another. This particular site was chosen for the Scottish memorial, however, since both the 9th and the 15th Scottish Divisions fought near Frezenberg village in August and September 1917.

The monument is a Celtic cross, decorated with carved Celtic knotwork, a thistle and a sword, and is of granite quarried from near Aberdeen in Scotland. The base bears two plaques. The one facing the road has a quotation from the Declaration of Arbroath (the Scottish declaration of independence from England in 1320): “It is in truth not for glory nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone which no man gives up but with life itself.” It is written in English and in Scots Gaelic, with a line of barbed wire separating the two.

The plaque facing away from the road has the inscription “In remembrance of all people of Scottish origin who fought in the Great War 1914-18.” Below that it recognises the South African troops who fought alongside the Scots: “Also dedicated to the 1st South African Brigade which was part of the 9th Scottish division during most of the war.”

Before we continued on our way, I left my own tribute, a poppy from picked from the verge near the monument, tucked into the bottom corner of the plaque.

Photograph 2: plaque on the Scotland Memorial, Frezenberg, near Ypres (photograph by the author)

If you found this article interesting, please continue reading with part two, which looks at the London Scottish memorial near Wijtschate, at the southern end of the Ypres Salient.